Man found dead at quarry believed to be murdered

PARIT, Jan 24 -- A man believed to be an Indonesian who was found dead at a sand quarry in Batu 9 3/4, Bota Kanan, here, earlier today, is suspected to have been murdered.

Perak Tengah district police chief, Supt Barudin Wariso said police received information from the public on the discovery of the body about 8.20 am today.

He said a preliminary examination of the body of the man, who could be in his 30’s and clad only in a pair of jeans, revealed bruises on several parts of the body, apart from head injuries believed to be caused by a sharp object.

"We believe the victim struggled before he died, as his right middle finger was found almost severed, possibly due to scuffles in several places around the area before collapsing at the spot he was found," he told reporters at the scene of the crime today.

Barudin said based on the condition of the body, the victim was believed to have been killed 10 hours prior to being discovered, while there were no identification documents found on the victim.

Barudin said police were investigating the background of the victim while the murder weapon had not been found yet, but he was confident the case could be resolved soonest possible.

He said the victim's body was sent to the forensic department of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh for a post-mortem, and the case was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

Meanwhile, a witness at the scene who wished to be known only as Bakong, 30, said while sending his mother to work, he was shocked to see a man lying on the path to the entrance of his mother's office at the quarry.

Bakong said he then contacted his friend, who is also the supervisor at the quarry company, and the latter then informed the police.

“As far as I know, he (the victim) worked part-time at the quarry here. It was shocking to see him lying there with bruises and some blood on his head,” he said.

-- BERNAMA